


My Watch Has Begun

by ReaganJenelle



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Castle Black, Eventual Romance, F/M, Genderbending, House Forrester, Jon Snow knows nothing, Minor Jon Snow/Ygritte, Nights Watch, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, Winterfell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2018-12-12 17:57:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11742207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReaganJenelle/pseuds/ReaganJenelle
Summary: When her father is killed and the Ironborn take her home, Lady Naomi Forrester flees for her life. Naomi knows she has few options before her. She conceals her gender and travels to The Wall as Neo Snow.Her watch has begun.





	1. Run

My lungs burned as I gasped for breath. The fear of them finding me had drove me onward, and I hadn't stopped running since Argon had led the band of Greyjoy men away. I didn't know how much time had past since, but my legs were shaking too hard to carry me any further. 

The Ironborn had attacked two days prior. It didn't take long for Ironrath to be overrun. Not with most of the men gone and fighting for King Robb. The battle was bloody. The followers of the drowned god held no mercy for any whom they came upon, be it man, woman, or child.

Argon was a servant in my father's household, and had snuck me out of Ironrath when it became clear the remaining guard were being slaughtered. Bodies littered the castle, their blood coloring the grey stone crimson. I had never seen such carnage, and it was only with Argon's help that I made it out with my life.

Night was falling fast. Still breathing heavy, I forced my shaking legs to carry me forward. I could stay in the open like this, not when I didn't know if I was still being pursued. 

 Ironrath was deep in the Wolfswood, but Argon had said we should reach the Kingsroad by nightfall. If I had kept going in the right direction, I should be there soon. My dress snagged on a thorn bush. I yanked on the material, suddenly desperate to free it. This shouldn't be happening, on of it. Not the taking of my family home, not the massacre of my people leaving me running for my life and tangled in a bush. 

Hot tears burned my eyes when I tore free, leaving shreds of the once fine dress behind. When my father had answered the call of Robb Stark to go to war, he had left our home believing I would be safe from the horrors of war. Never had we imagined that war would bleed into our holdfast. I was lucky to be alive and not taken by some man before he slit my throat while still fucking my warm corpse. 

Bile rose in my mouth, and I became sick. My stomach heaved what little I had eaten into the bushes, leaving me shaken. 

Still I moved forward. The light was completely gone now as I stumbled in the dark. The tree line broke in front of me, and I stumbled onto the side of the road. The moon was full, giving just enough light that I could see no one was coming or going. The rocks crunch beneath my shoes. It was still another hour before I could make out the outline of a small house off to the far right. A dull fire glowed through the single window, and smoke rose from the chimney. Like a moth to a flame, I was helplessly drawn to it. 

The house was small and wooden, but we'll made. A stable with a single horse stood nearby. Raising my scratched and dirty fist, I hammered on the door. Movement could be heard inside as someone came to open the door. A boy who looked to be a few years younger than myself opened it with surprise. 

"Please," I rasped. "Help me."

An older man appeared behind the boy, eyes wide in spoke at seeing a young woman in a ruined dress on his doorstep.

"Seven hells." The man said in a gruff voice. "Judd, help her inside."

He ushered me inside swiftly. The warmth of the fire seeped into my chilled skin painfully. They led me to the chair closest to the fire. I hadn't realized I was shivering until a rough blanket was wrapped around me, and a bowl of hot broth was pressed into my hands. I slurped it with a new found greed. 

"Thank you." I croaked.

"Wouldn't do to leave a Lady out in the cold." The man said. "I'm Jonas. This is my son, Judd."

I cleared my throat. "I am Naomi of house Forrester."

"Lady Forrester, in my home." Jonas sputtered. "What drove you from Ironrath?"

I hesitated. "We were attacked by Ironborn not three days past. I was led to safety by a servant. We walked for two days before we were found. He led them away." My throat grew tight with grief.

The fire crackled next to me, filling the silent shack. Jonas looked grim from where he sat, and Judd wore a look of fear. 

"Damned seamen. Pardon my language, mi'lady." He paused. "I'll have Judd get you some water and rags to clean up. He should have a spare tunic and breaches for you."

I nodded absently, somehow still numb to the events of the past few days. A quick wash did sound nice however. In the next room I found everything waiting for me. I stripped out of the torn, stiff dress and inspected my body for the first time. Bruises and small cut covered nearly every inch of my skin. My time in the woods was obvious. The clean water turned murky as I scrubbed away the dirt. My hair was a knotted mess against my scalp. My finger make slow work of straightening it out. The dark waves brushed the small of my back when I finished. The clothes provided were a little too big for my slight frame, but they were clean. 

I stepped out of the small bedroom to find Jonas making a palette on the floor next to the hearth.

Folding my hands in front of me, I said, "Thank you, master Jonas. I'm sure I shall be quite comfortable."

He shook his head quickly. "Mi'lady, this is for me. What kind of man would I be if I made you sleep on the hard ground? You've my bed."

"Please, I'm already intruding." I argued half heartedly. The idea of sleeping in a real bed was intoxicating after having slept interested woods. 

He shook his head firmly. "I'll not have none of that. You're our guest, you'll take the bed."

My lip curled slightly at his persistent kindness. "You are too kind."

I soon found myself curled up on the lumpy straw mattress beneath a scratchy blanket. Exhaustion seeped in and took hold of me, and I could find it in myself to care that this was the most uncomfortable bed I'd ever lied in. 

Sleep did not come easily despite how tired I was. Images of mutilated bodies flashed behind my eyelids everything I closed them. If my father had been in Ironrath, the attack would have been repelled. I wasn't strong enough to save my home or it's people. They were now returning to the earth, and I was still here, unharmed. Silent tears dripped down my cheeks. I wasn't strong enough, and people died because of it.

With that thought, I drifted into an uneasy sleep filled with rivers of blood and sea monsters.


	2. Work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short one, but long over due.

The next few days past in a blur. I insisted on helping Judd with his chores much to the displeasure of Jonas. I finally settled the matter when I explained it wouldn't be right if I simply sat around while they tended to the field, not if I was going to share their meals. My days were spent mending clothes and making blankets. It was easy work, though my neck was all the more stiff for it. I had never worked a day in my life, but sewing for the people who had taken me in was well worth the small pricks in my fingers. At Ironrath, my days were spent tending to the matters of state. With my father at war and my brother in exile, it was left to me to keep the peace in our home and ensure that everyone in it fulfilled their duty. Now I found myself away from the only home I had ever known. 

Nights were always the hardest. Every time I closed my eyes I could see them; the bodies of those whom the Ironborn had put to the sword. The sickening crunch of bone being cleaved apart filled the silent moments in that small bedroom. When sleep found me I would still want for peace. Argon would be there in my dreams, staggering towards me. A gaping wound pored an endless amount of blood as he reached out for me, calling for my help. There was nothing I could do. Fear held me in it's unrelenting jaws. I knew Jonas and Judd must hear me cry at night, but they never mentioned it and for that I was grateful. 

My fingers ached as I finished mending Judd's trousers. He had worn through the knee, and it had desperately needed new patching. Sewing patches onto worn fabric was far simpler than stitching patterns of my House sigil. With any luck, this patch would last a good long while. The sun was low in the sky by the time the men came in from the field sweaty and spent. 

"Thank you, mi'lady." Judd accepted his pants with soft praise for the needle work. 

Judd was a kind and soft spoken boy of fourteen, two years younger than myself. He never seemed to have much to say, but instead observed closely the actions of others. His father Jonas was the opposite. Words never seemed to be in short supply for him. Jonas would fill the air with stories for my amusement, and tales of his time as a foot soldier in my father's army. Both were good company to keep and very gracious. 

Because I had never cooked a day in my life, Judd prepared our meals. They were always far simpler that what was served at Ironrath, but never lacking in flavor. I watched as he stirred the small black pot of stew and added a few things here and there. It was nice to watch. Judd seemed to put such care into everything he made. It wasn't hard to tell he was growing into a fine man. 

"Those cursed wildling." Jonas was saying as he washed up with a cool rag. "They've been growing more bold by the day. Took half the grain and a pig! They need to keep north of The Wall. S'plenty of land up there."

"Do wildlings often come this far from The Wall? I thought the Night's Watch kept them from raiding." I said.

Jonas shook his head patiently. "The Wall's undermanned, and with Winterfell being a pile of ash and what not, there's no one to keep them in check."

I nodded. "I shall speak to my father on this matter."

His eyes went wide. "Oh, no, mi'lady. I couldn't have you making a fuss to Lord Forrester 'bout some missing grain."

"Nonsense. You're under the protection of my House. This cannot go on unchecked." I told him, glad I could help him in anyway. "Besides, you have fed, clothed, and given me work. I am in your debt, and am only too happy to repay your kindness."

Jonas rubbed the back of his neck. "You're too kind, Lady."

I nodded gracefully, the air of a Forrester embodied. The evening past in a light manner. Jonas seemed to be in much lighter spirits knowing that my father would aid in relief of the wildling raids. Judd smiled at his fathers rowdy behavior when he broke out a bottle of ale. I had never much cared for the course drink. It left my throat burning and my actions clumsy. So when Jonas passed me a tankard, I sipped it sparingly so as not to offer offence. 


End file.
